| Caretaker takes Torch audience on a remarkable journey |
At the Torch |
| Torch Theatre- The Caretaker , Torch Theatre, Milford Haven , February 15, 2002 |
| Playwright Harold Pinter has never shied away from deconstructing the human psyche to analyse the ordinary man and the dispossessed in particular. One of his prime examples is his 1960 classic, The Caretaker, currently being revived by the Torch Theatre Company, Milford Haven. The Caretaker tells the tale of angry old tramp, Davies, who is taken in by slow-witted Aston, after he saves him from a beating one night. While staying at Aston’s junk-strewn bedsit – a superb set design by Sean Crowley symbolic of the emotional clutter carried by the protagonists – things turn more difficult for Davies with the arrival of Aston’s sadistic brother, Mick, with the old tramp being, in turn, welcomed, ridiculed and threatened by the two brothers. Although the audience never venture outside the room, they are taken on a remarkable journey, for the Caretaker is a profound exploration of alienation and isolation, utilising Pinter’s usual themes of menace, mystery and dark humour. All three are loners with dreams and ambitions – albeit in the case of Davies and Aston more basic than the high-flying Mick – but throughout, it is obvious that none of the trio really has the social interaction skills needed to grasp the lifeline fate has thrown them in bringing them together and will never achieve their goals. I must admit that Pinter is not my cup of tea, and at times you tend to wonder where he is going plot-wise, but The Caretaker is nevertheless an absorbing study of the human condition which grips you throughout. Much of the credit for this must go to the cast and crew, for this is a masterful presentation by the Torch. The theatre’s artistic director, Peter Doran, handed over helming duties for this production to head of acting at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, Dave Bond. From the opening image of a man sitting alone on a bed while an apocalyptic wind howls, to the starkly lit closing tableau, The Caretaker is a sleek and stylised presentation, claustrophobically directed by Bond. Everything meshes perfectly, with the choice of incidental and interval music further enhancing the theme of isolation and loneliness. Water dripping through the bedsit’s leaky roof adds to the menace, lighting design by Elanor Higgins heightens the claustrophobia, while the entire production is imbued with a sense of foreboding and ultimate rejection – particularly whenever the slightly psychotic and unpredictable Mick (a masterfully menacing performance by Sean Kearney) visits. Perhaps the most lightly sketched character, Mick, while socially mobile, takes delight in terrorising the old tramp in some powerfully disturbingly scenes – but later feigns friendship, making the denouement all the more striking. There are touches of humour and pathos, and long stretches without dialogue say as much about the characters as pages of the written word, particularly in the case of Aston (an excellent Keith Woodason). Spartan in his speech for much of the first act, his complex character is eventually revealed in a powerfully moving revelation that he was left slightly brain-damaged as a result of electric shock treatment in his youth. While concerned about the plight of Davies, even offering him the job of caretaker, he is ultimately unable to cope with sharing his world with another. As the titular caretaker Davies, Owen Garmon turns in a bravura performance, capturing the deep rage, resentment and selfishness of the old derelict. In all that he says and does, the bigoted, racist Davies blames others for his plights and one’s sympathy quickly turns to anger as he turns against the kindly Aston and the quality of the accommodation he provides. However, Garmon’s depth of characterisation imbues Davies with such pathos that at the end, with the delightfully ambiguous last line ‘What about me…?’, you are left wondering if this is the anguished cry of an angry, selfish person about to be thrown back on the street, or a sad, lonely, old man desperate for companionship! Although Pinter’s Caretaker is a deep, philosophical and intellectual drama, its use of everyday speech and social realism makes it a highly accessible exploration of emotion, angst and ultimate loneliness, and, in the hands of the Torch Theatre, it makes for a highly entertaining evening. The Caretaker can be seen at the Torch until February 16, before embarking on a national tour. |
Reviewed by: Andrews Davies |
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